Study on Hong Kong People s Participation in Gambling Activities (2005) Key Statistics Contents 1. The Survey... 3 a)telephone Survey... 3 b)youth Survey... 3 2.Findings of Telephone Survey... 4 2.1 Participation in gambling activities... 4 2.2 Participation in legal and illegal gambling... 5 2.3 Amount spent on gambling activities... 5 2.4 Amount spent on legal and illegal gambling... 6 2.5 Gambling risk... 6 2.6 Age of first gambling experience... 7 2.7 Who invited/persuaded to participate in first gambling... 7 2.8 Reasons for participating in first gambling... 8 2.9 Income spent on betting... 8 2.10 Awareness of the preventive and remedial measures... 9 2.11 Pathological gambling...10 3. Findings of Youth Survey...11 3.1 Participation in gambling activities...11 3.2 Amount spent on gambling activities...11 3.3 Age of first gambling experience...12 3.4 Who invited/persuaded to participate in first gambling...12 3.5 Reasons for participating in first gambling...13 3.6 Reasons for continuing to gamble...13 3.7 Age of first football betting experience...14 1
3.8 Channels to place the bet of first football betting...14 3.9 Who invited/persuaded to participate in first football betting...15 3.10 Reasons for participating in first football betting...15 3.11 Reasons for continuing to gamble on football games...16 3.12 Channels to place the bet...16 3.13 Respondents attitude towards gambling...17 3.14 Media influence on gambling...18 3.15 Pathological gambling...20 3.16 Awareness of preventive and remedial measures...21 3.17 Family s reactions to participation in gambling activities...21 4. Overall Comparison with 2001... 22 4.1 Telephone survey...22 4.2 Youth survey...24 2
Study on Hong Kong People s Participation in Gambling Activities (2005) Key Statistics 1. The Survey a) Telephone Survey Survey Period: March to April 2005 Survey Coverage: Persons aged 15-64 in all domestic households in Hong Kong (excluding domestic helpers) Sample Size: 2 093 Response Rate: 74.7% or 32.4% (including non-contacts) Margin of Error of Key Statistics: +/-2.1% at 95% confidence level b) Youth Survey Survey Period: April to May 2005 Survey Coverage: 48 classes from 14 secondary schools, 23 classes from Vocational Training Council (VTC) Sample Size: 2095 Survey Method: Self-administered questionnaires 3
2.Findings of Telephone Survey 2.1 Participation in gambling activities Gambling Activities Mark Six Illegal Mark Six Horse racing with HKJC Horse racing with local bookmakers Horse racing with offshore bookmakers Horse racing (Macau) Football betting with HKJC Football betting with local bookmakers Football betting with offshore bookmakers Other sporting events (except football games) with local bookmakers Other sporting events (except football games) with offshore bookmakers Mahjong house Casino ship Casino (Macau) Online casino Social gambling Within Last Week Within Last Year (but not within last week) Ever (but not within last year) Never Forgotten Total (N) 32.1 36.4 9.1 22.1 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.0 99.2 0.1 11.6 13.6 10.0 64.5 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.8 98.8 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 99.9 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.9 98.9 0.0 6.5 9.8 1.5 82.1 0.1 0.3 0.7 0.5 98.5 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 99.4 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 99.5 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3 99.6 0.0 0.2 0.7 1.0 98.1 0.0 0.2 3.6 9.1 86.9 0.2 0.4 15.4 29.5 54.7 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 99.5 0.0 9.9 37.4 13.5 38.8 0.3 (2092) (2092) (2092) 4
2.2 Participation in legal and illegal gambling within last year 2005 2001 Participation in legal gambling 80.4 77.8 Participation in illegal gambling 2.1 4.2 Overall 81.1 78.0 (Year 2005: N=2093 / Year 2001: N=2004) 2.3 Amount spent on gambling activities (per month) Mark Six lottery Horse racing Football betting Casino Ship Casino (Macau) Social gambling (HKJC) (HKJC) Amount 2005 2001 2005 2001 2005 2001 2005 2001 2005 2001 2005 2001 $50 or below 56.0 55.8 31.0 27.1 35.7-20.7 25.4 21.4 27.2 31.5 29.8 $51 to $100 24.6 25.2 16.3 13.7 18.5-17.5 23.8 17.3 23.9 19.5 20.9 $101 to $200 10.4 12.0 13.3 12.0 11.1-10.0 7.9 10.3 8.7 14.3 14.2 $201 to $500 6.2 5.1 17.9 21.1 15.9-6.5 20.6 19.3 15.8 20.3 24.3 $501 to $1,000 1.4 1.6 10.2 10.4 12.1-11.2 7.9 12.2 12.5 9.5 6.1 More than 1.3 0.3 11.2 15.7 6.6-34.0 14.3 19.4 12.0 4.8 4.7 $1,000 Sample Size (n) 1352 1069 488 517 324-71 63 301 184 896 655 5
2.4 Amount spent on legal and illegal gambling (per month) Amount Legal gambling Illegal gambling $50 or below 28.1 28.4 $51 to $100 13.2 11.0 $101 to $200 14.0 4.4 $201 to $500 15.7 14.6 $501 to $1,000 10.5 16.0 More than $1,000 18.5 25.6 Sample Size (n) 1609 41 2.5 Gambling risk Had avoided / reduced participation in gambling / gambling-related activities to prevent children from participating in gambling Sample Size (n): 1188 Had educated children about the risk and negative impact of gambling Sample Size (n): 1328 Yes No 52.9 47.1 61.1 38.9 6
2.6 Age of first gambling experience for gamblers Age less than 10 5.2 10-14 16.4 15-19 39.9 20-24 21.3 25-29 9.5 30-34 3.6 35-39 1.9 40-44 1.1 45-49 0.6 over 50 0.6 Sample Size (n) 1679 2.7 Who invited/persuaded to participate in first gambling Who invited/persuaded to participate Friends or schoolmates 43.2 I invited others 16.9 Parents or grandparents 12.0 Colleagues 7.0 Other relatives 6.9 Siblings 6.0 Mass media 1.6 Hong Kong Jockey Club 0.8 Husband / Boyfriend 0.2 During travel 0.2 Casinos advertisements 0.2 Others 4.9 Sample Size (n) 1720 7
2.8 Reasons for participating in first gambling Reason Just for fun 25.6 Curiosity 15.7 Entertaining other people 9.6 Hoping to win 8.4 Killing time 7.4 Trying my luck 5.3 Excitement seeking 1.2 No specific reasons 0.5 Wanted to learn 0.3 For charity 0.2 Birthday 0.2 Sharing the bet with others 0.1 For interest 0.1 Travel 0.1 Others 28.2 Sample Size (n) 1865 2.9 Income spent on betting Portion of income 0% 7.2 < 5% 64.6 5% 11.3 10% 11.6 25% 2.8 50% 1.5 75% 0.2 100% 0.4 > 100% 0.4 Sample Size (n) 1543 8
2.10 Awareness of the preventive and remedial measures to address gambling related problems Yes No Whether aware of the preventive / remedial measures 40.6 59.4 Sample size (N) : 2093 Type of measures TV commercials and docu-drama 88.1 Posters and banners 41.2 Website 10.9 Counseling and treatment services for problem and pathological gamblers 10.7 Competition and activities 9.2 Newspapers / magazines 1.9 Family / friends / schools 0.6 Radios 0.4 Leaflets 0.2 Voluntary organizations / mutual-aid clubs 0.2 Others 18.6 Sample size (n) 850 9
2.11 Pathological gambling 2.2 indicated that they had experienced five or more of the problems covered by the DSM-IV and can be classified as probable pathological gamblers. 3.1 indicated that they had experienced three or four of the problems covered by the DSM-IV and can be classified as probable problem gamblers. Problem / Pathological gamblers Probable pathological gamblers Probable problem gamblers % of those who exhibited symptoms (n=397) % of all gamblers in the past year (n=1698) % of all respondents (N =2093) 11.4 2.7 2.2 16.1 3.8 3.1 Most of the identified probable pathological gamblers said they experienced the DSM-IV problems when betting on horse racing, football betting, casino (Macau) and social gambling. 1.1 could be classified as pathological gamblers by Dr Leung s screen. 3.2 could be classified as problem gamblers by Dr Leung s screen. 10
3. Findings of Youth Survey 3.1 Participation in gambling activities in the past year Types of gambling activities Aged 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 Mark Six 5.7 12.1 15.4 36.9 Illegal Mark Six 1.0 0.2 0.6 1.4 Horse racing (HKJC) 3.1 4.6 4.5 9.5 Horse racing (illegal) 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.9 Football betting (HKJC) 5.3 5.3 7.4 15.3 Football betting (illegal) 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.8 Other sporting events (except Football betting) (illegal) 2.1 3.3 3.3 4.9 Floating casino 0.7 0.5 0.4 1.4 Online casino 1.0 2.3 2.1 2.7 Social gambling 15.1 24.4 26.1 32.1 Roulette 1.4 0.5 1.3 1.8 Pai Kau 0.3 0.5 1.2 0.9 Playing slots 1.4 2.2 3.1 5.4 Cussec 5.7 6.8 7.0 6.8 Tossing coin 3.1 3.1 4.9 2.7 Sample Size (n) 583 647 486 223 3.2 Amount spent on gambling activities in the past year Activities Monthly expense ($) Mark Six Horse racing (HKJC) Football betting (HKJC) Social gambling $40 (n=117) $70.7 (n=22) $125.2 (n=40) $89.5 (n=171) 11
3.3 Age of first gambling experience Age 4 1.1 5 1.0 6 3.7 7 4.6 8 4.9 9 5.6 10 13.0 11 9.6 12 12.6 13 9.8 14 6.1 15 6.7 16 7.2 17 3.3 18 8.7 19 1.4 20 0.3 21 0.3 Sample Size (n) 329 3.4 Who invited/persuaded to participate in first gambling Who invited/persuaded to participate Friends or schoolmates 20.5 Other relatives 18.6 Self 13.5 Parents or grandparents 12.1 Siblings 8.7 HKJC s promotions 0.4 Do not remember 16.7 Others 9.6 Sample Size (n) 661 12
3.5 Reasons for participating in first gambling Reason Killing time 45.3 Curiosity 28.2 Trying my luck 28.1 Hoping to win 21.0 Just for fun 18.3 Entertaining other people 13.0 Excitement seeking 12.7 Do not remember 11.3 Others 5.4 Sample Size (n) 659 3.6 Reasons for continuing to gamble Reason Killing time 53.2 Escaping from sadness / boredom 35.0 Hoping to win money 31.3 Testing my luck 24.5 Happiness 20.7 Excitement 17.3 Entertaining other people 16.9 Hoping to enhance gambling skills 14.2 Others 6.2 Sample Size (n) 565 13
3.7 Age of first football betting experience Age 10 1.8 12 4.9 13 17.7 14 10.7 15 5.4 16 18.9 17 14.1 18 19.2 19 4.4 20 3.0 Sample Size (n) 68 3.8 Channels to place the bet of first football betting Channel Family members and relatives 31.8 At HKJC outlets 29.0 Schoolmates / friends 27.4 Mobile phone s SMS 5.5 Placing bets through local / offshore bookmakers 3.2 Family members / relatives betting account for 1.6 telephone or online betting Schoolmates / friends betting account for 1.3 telephone or online betting Others 0.2 Sample Size (n) 113 14
3.9 Who invited/persuaded to participate in first football betting Who invited/persuaded to participate Self 29.3 Friends / schoolmates 26.1 Parents or grandparents 8.8 Siblings 8.7 Other relatives 4.7 Casinos advertisements 3.6 Jockey Club s promotions 1.8 Mass media 1.5 Colleagues 1.2 Others 4.5 Do not remember 9.9 Sample Size (n) 115 3.10 Reasons for participating in first football betting Reason Hoping to win 35.6 Trying my luck 31.0 Curiosity 22.5 Just for fun 17.8 Excitement seeking 12.4 Entertaining other people 6.2 Killing time 5.8 Others 5.1 Do not remember 11.1 Sample Size (n) 114 15
3.11 Reasons for continuing to gamble on football games Reason Hoping to win money 38.8 Happiness 22.3 Testing my luck 18.8 Excitement 15.4 Killing time 13.1 Escaping from sadness / boredom 8.2 Entertaining other people 5.9 Hoping to enhance gambling skills 2.9 Others 3.4 Never bet on football again 14.1 Sample Size (n) 114 3.12 Channels to place the bet Type of gambling activities Channel Horsing Racing Football betting Mark Six (through HKJC) (through HKJC) Aged Aged Aged 12-17 12-17 12-19 12-19 12-19 12-17 By family members and relatives 64.2 78.5 51.2 58.6 42.9 49.6 At HKJC outlets 33.8 14.1 19.6 9.7 29.3 13.8 From Race Course - - 12.8 13.2 - - By schoolmates / friends 20.7 23.9 10.9 11.3 42.4 45.4 By using family members betting account for telephone or online 4.1 4.4 4.3 4.3 2.8 3.0 betting By using schoolmates / friends betting account for telephone or 1.0 0.8 2.4 1.7 4.5 5.0 online betting By using mobile phone s SMS messaging service 1.3 1.3 4.4 4.8 5.5 7.0 Others 1.6 0.7 6.0 2.9 1.9 0.2 Sample size (n) 252 171 86 66 129 95 16
3.13 Respondents attitude towards gambling Aged 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 Agreed only those who are 18 years old and over can participate in 74.3 67.4 74.2 84.7 gambling activities Sample Size (n) 409 439 337 176 Whether would participate in gambling activities when turned aged 18 Yes 26.5 41.7 49.1 54.9 No 73.5 58.3 50.9 45.1 Sample Size (n) 355 408 269 162 17
3.14 Media influence on gambling Media coverage of different gambling activities- Aged 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 Make easier access to gambling information Yes No 31.3 35.6 41.3 29.8 44.1 25.6 52.6 25.7 Don t know / did not answer 33.1 28.9 30.4 21.7 Affect attitude towards Yes 9.5 10.7 13.0 13.0 gambling No 59.9 64.9 58.9 69.2 Don t know / did not answer Affect participation in Yes, it makes me want to gambling activities participate in gambling activities more than before 30.6 24.4 28.1 17.8 3.2 4.9 4.4 5.5 Yes, it dissuades me from participating in gambling activities 16.2 12.0 11.2 7.3 No 53.9 54.5 54.7 69.1 Don t know / did not answer 26.8 28.6 29.7 18.1 Sample Size (n) 583 647 486 223 18
HKJC s promotions (e.g. carnivals, Open Day, etc.) on different kinds of gambling activities- Aged 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 Affect attitude towards Yes 6.0 6.8 8.6 9.9 gambling No 66.2 65.9 64.5 73.9 Don t know / did not answer 27.8 27.3 26.9 16.2 Affect participation in gambling activities Yes, it makes me want to participate in gambling activities more than before Yes, it dissuades me from participate in gambling activities 2.5 2.2 3.0 3.0 16.2 9.3 7.7 6.1 No 53.2 60.9 61.0 76.4 Don t know / did not answer 28.2 27.7 28.3 14.5 Sample Size (n) 583 647 486 223 19
3.15 Pathological gambling Students aged 12 to 19 in secondary schools only: 1.3 indicated that they had experienced five or more of the problems covered by the DSM-IV and can be classified as probable pathological gamblers. 1.3 indicated that they had experienced three or four of the problems covered by the DSM-IV and can be classified as probable problem gamblers. Problem / pathological gamblers Probable pathological gamblers Probable problem gamblers % of those who exhibited any symptoms (n=116) % of all gamblers in the past year (n=509) % among all respondents (N=1496) 17.2 3.9 1.3 16.4 3.7 1.3 Most of the identified probable pathological gamblers said they experienced the DSM-IV problems when betting on mark six, football betting, social gambling, and cussec. Secondary schools + VTC 1.3 could be classified as pathological gamblers by Dr Leung s screen. 0.8 could be classified as problem gamblers by Dr Leung s screen. 20
3.16 Awareness of preventive and remedial measures to address gambling related problems Yes No Whether aware of preventive / remedial measures 41.9 58.1 Sample Size (n): 2019 Type of measures TV commercials and docu-drama 73.9 Posters and banners 55.9 Counseling and treatment services for problem and pathological gamblers 20.9 Website 20.5 Competition and activities 15.2 Others 6.6 Sample Size (n) 790 3.17 Family s reactions to participation in gambling activities Type of reactions They feel calm 12.6 They give me advices on gambling 11.9 They don t know that I gamble 9.9 They persuade me to gamble less 9.8 They support me 4.9 They do not care 4.3 They cannot do anything to me 3.5 They add in stakes 3.4 They lend me the money 1.7 They want me to stop gambling 1.9 They avoid talking about it 0.9 They are upset 0.8 They are worried about the financial situation 0.6 Sample Size (n) 679 21
4. Overall Comparison with 2001 4.1 Telephone survey 2005 2001 Sample size 2 093 2 004 Participation in gambling 81.1% 78.0% activities (last year) The three most popular forms of gambling in HK Mark Six (68.6%) Social gambling (47.4%) Horse racing (25.2%) Mark Six (64.2%) Social gambling (45.9%) Horse racing (30.4%) Participation in legal gambling 80.4% 77.8% Participation in illegal gambling 2.1% 4.2% Pathological gamblers 2.2% 1.8% Problem gamblers 3.1% 4.0% 22
Participation in gambling activities (last year) as compared with 2001 Type of gambling activities 2005 2001 Mark Six 68.6 64.2 Illegal Mark Six 0.7 0.4 Horse racing with HKJC 25.2 30.4 Illegal Horse racing with 0.4 0.5 (with local/offshore bookmakers) Horse racing (Macau) 0.2 0.9 Football betting with HKJC 16.3 - Football betting with local 1.0 1.6 bookmakers Football betting with 0.4 1.3 offshore bookmakers Other sporting events 0.2 - (except football games) with local bookmakers Other sporting events 0.1 - (except football games) with offshore bookmakers Mahjong house 0.9 1.2 Casino ship 3.8 4.3 Casino (Macau) 15.8 12.1 Online casino 0.1 0.6 Casino (local illegal) - 0.3 Social gambling 47.4 45.9 (Year 2005: N=2093 / Year 2001: N=2004) 23
4.2 Youth survey Survey Coverage Sample size Participation in gambling activities (last year) The three most popular forms of gambling Pathological gamblers Problem gamblers 2005 2001 Secondary school students and VTC Secondary school students students 1 939 students (1496 for secondary 2 000 students aged 13-18 schools) aged 12-19 32.3% (34.0% for secondary 53.8% schools only) Social gambling : 22.9% Social gambling (49.2%) (24.5% for secondary schools only) Mark Six (19.4%) Mark Six : 13.8% Horse racing (9.2%) (15.0% for secondary schools only) Football betting with HKJC : 7.0% (6.8% for secondary schools only) 1.5% (1.3% for secondary schools 2.6% only) 1.1% (1.3% for secondary schools 4.5% only) 24
Participation in gambling activities (last year) as compared with 2001 (for students aged 12-19 in secondary schools only) Type of gambling activities Age 12-13 Age 14-15 Age 16-17 Age 18-19 2005 2001 2005 2001 2005 2001 2005 2001 Mark Six 5.6 10.0 12.1 14.8 14.6 23.7 33.5 38.0 Horse racing with HKJC 3.2 2.2 4.7 6.7 3.9 12.6 6.4 18.0 Football betting 5.3 1.8 5.3 4.6 6.5 8.4 12.9 4.7 Social gambling 15.1 33.2 24.3 45.6 26.2 55.4 33.0 59.3 Sample size (n) 284 271 514 825 465 754 233 150 Amount spent on gambling as compared with 2001 (underage secondary school students only) Year Amount ($) Sample size (n) 2005 $104.2 148 2001 $172.1 266 25